TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced today that the Division of Criminal Justice has awarded a $350,000 grant to an Atlantic County organization to further statewide efforts to combat human trafficking.

According to Acting Attorney General Hoffman, the New Jersey Human Trafficking Victim Services Program grant was awarded to The Women’s Center, located in Linwood.

Under this grant, The Women’s Center will provide access 24 hours a day, seven days a week to statewide services for victims of human trafficking. These services include, but are not limited to, shelter, food, court accompaniment, transportation, counseling and system linkage, clothing, and referral services. The Women’s Center will also provide crisis response in partnership with identified law enforcement and governmental agencies statewide.

“New Jersey continues to be at the forefront in the fight against human trafficking,” Acting Attorney General Hoffman said. “The grant announced today will ensure that victims and survivors of human trafficking get the much-needed resources that they so deserve.”

“The problem of human trafficking did not end on Feb. 2 when the play clock hit zero at the end of the Super Bowl, and neither did our resolve to combat this horrific crime and provide assistance to these most vulnerable victims,” Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig said.

“Our mission is to work collaboratively to eradicate human trafficking by reducing the vulnerability of potential victims and the demand for exploitation in all its forms; ensuring adequate protection and services to victims, and supporting the efficient prosecution of the criminals,” said Claudia Ratzlaff, the CEO of The Women’s Center.

The Women’s Center plans to use prevention, protection and partnership as the cornerstone of their efforts. Through the grant that begins April 1, The Women’s Center will partner with other agencies throughout the state to address the crime of human trafficking. The Women’s Center is a not-for-profit organization with over 40 years of experience in providing services to domestic violence and sexual assault victims, especially female victims, and 27 years of providing services to human trafficking victims. More information about The Women’s Center can be found at hwww.acwc.org.

The New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force maintains a hotline 855-END-NJ-HT that is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by detectives in the Human Trafficking Unit within the Division of Criminal Justice. For more information about the Task Force, visit www.NJHumanTrafficking.gov.